Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Cohort Profile (includes Data Profiles)

Occupational and Environmental Health Screening Cohort of Yangsan Korea (OEC-YK): 2012–2023: Dongmug Kang, Eun-Soo Lee, Se-Yeong Kim, Youngki Kim, Youn Hyang Lee, Yoon-Ji Kim; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e32. Published online September 5, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e32 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: The Occupational and Environmental Health Screening Cohort of Yangsan Korea (OEC-YK) was established to monitor long-term health outcomes in workers and environmental high-risk citizens through systematic periodic health examinations. The cohort integrates 623,402 examination instances from 105,768 participants at Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital (2012–2023), encompassing general health checkups, occupational exposure surveillance, cancer screenings, and others including asbestos-related surveillance. Examination types included general health examination (32.4%), cancer screening (20.6%), special health examination (16.2%), night-shift work examination (16.0%), chronic disease screening (4.8%), pre-placement examinations (2.1%), and asbestos-related surveillance (3.6%). At baseline, 59.0% were male and 75.5% were aged between 20 and 59 years. Follow-up rates reached 35.0% at 1 year, 31.9% at 2 years, and 3.2% at 11 years. Notably, the inclusion of systematic asbestos examinations, combined with a national asbestos job exposure matrix, allows detailed study of long-latency occupational diseases. This large-scale longitudinal dataset supports exposure-disease linkage analysis, job-exposure integration, and time-series modeling of worker health trajectories in Korea.

643 View
6 Download

Original article

Association between sudden work recall and psychological health issues: a cross-sectional analysis of the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey: Dong-Woo Kim, June-Hee Lee, In-Ho Lee, Kyung-Jae Lee; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e33. Published online September 8, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e33 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Background
The impact of global integration has led to an increase in non-standard work patterns, threatening workers' health. Psychological health problems, such as anxiety and fatigue, negatively affect workers' health and safety. Sudden work recall, a situation where workers are asked to return to work under unpredictable circumstances, is associated with uncertainty. Research on the relationship between sudden work recall and anxiety and fatigue is limited, and this study aims to investigate this relationship among Korean workers.
Methods
The study used data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey. To analyze the pure effects of sudden work recall, the final sample was limited to 15,702 non-shift workers with a ‘good’ subjective health status. The presence of sudden work recall was categorized into three frequency groups: “several times a month,” “rarely,” and “never.” Anxiety and fatigue were each categorized into "yes" or "no" responses. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.
Results
After adjusting for demographic and occupational characteristics, the odds ratio (OR) for anxiety in the 'several times a month' group was 4.066 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.787–5.931), indicating a significantly higher risk. Conversely, the OR for the 'rarely' group was 1.363 (95% CI: 0.921–2.017), which was not statistically significant. A similar pattern was observed for fatigue: the 'several times a month' group had a significantly higher risk (OR: 1.875; 95% CI: 1.490–2.359), but the 'rarely' group (OR: 0.955; 95% CI: 0.750–1.215) did not.
Conclusions
The relationship between sudden work recall and psychological health may not be a simple linear one. The results suggest that only a high frequency of sudden work recall is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and fatigue. Therefore, it is necessary to establish appropriate measures and to conduct additional research in this area.

321 View
9 Download

Original article

Health effects of weekend work on Korean workers: based on the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey: Ji-Hyeon Lee, Jin-Young Min, Seok-Yoon Son, Seung-Woo Ryoo, Kyoung-Bok Min; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e31. Published online September 3, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e31 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Background
Although weekend work makes up a significant part of work patterns in modern society, research on the health effects of weekend work is relatively limited compared to other types of nonstandard work. This study was conducted to examine the impact of weekend work on the health of Korean workers, aiming to provide evidence to support the development of welfare policies that promote workers’ health.
Methods
This study was conducted using data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey, targeting 35,957 Korean workers who met the research criteria. Based on the survey responses, information was collected on weekend work status and health outcomes, including general health, musculoskeletal pain, headaches or eye pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, absenteeism and presenteeism. To examine the association between weekend work and health outcome variables, logistic regression analysis was performed adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, with additional stratified analyses conducted according to employment status.
Results
Among the final study population, 11,255 workers, accounting for 30.48% of the total, were weekend workers. After adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, weekend work was found to be significantly associated with depression (odds ratio [OR]: 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.18), anxiety (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.16–1.58), musculoskeletal pain (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.34–1.58), fatigue (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.36–1.62), absenteeism (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.43–2.03), and presenteeism (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.62–2.04). The health effects of weekend work differed between the self-employed and employees, as shown in the results of the stratified analysis.
Conclusions
Weekend work was found to increase the risk of both physical and mental health problems of Korean workers, and the effect varied according to employment status. There is a need to design a comprehensive occupational health policy that reflects the characteristics of different employment statuses.

386 View
2 Download

Original article

Association between serum iron levels and low-frequency hearing loss in Korean females: Inho Jung, Seunghyeon Cho, Sunjin Jung, JiHwan Kim, Won-Ju Park; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e28. Published online September 2, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e28 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Background
This study investigates the association between serum iron levels and frequency-specific hearing loss in Korean female population, a topic previously unexplored in auditory health research.
Methods
This study enrolled Korean female participants from the general population. Serum iron levels and hearing thresholds at low (1 kHz) and high (4 kHz) frequencies were assessed, adjusting for potential confounders. Participants were stratified into quartiles based on serum iron levels.
Results
The mean age of the study population was 51.1 ± 10.1 years. Among the 2,987 participants, 344 (11.5%) had abnormal low-frequency hearing thresholds, and 719 (24.1%) had abnormal high-frequency thresholds. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant negative association between serum iron levels and low-frequency hearing thresholds (β = –0.012, p = 0.017), whereas no significant association was observed with high-frequency thresholds (β = –0.006, p = 0.352). In a stratified analysis using 50 years (the average menopausal age) as a cutoff, no statistically significant association was identified in participants younger than 50 years. However, in those aged 50 years and older, the negative association between serum iron levels and low-frequency hearing thresholds remained statistically significant.
Conclusions
This study is the first to identify an association between serum iron levels and low-frequency hearing loss in females aged 50 years and older, underscoring the potential role of iron in auditory function. These findings highlight the importance of further research in diverse populations to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and broader clinical implications.

220 View
2 Download

Original article

Occupational skin diseases among cathode material workers in the Korean lithium-ion battery industry: a descriptive case series: Hwa-Yeon Lee, Dong-Hee Koh, Junhyeok Choi, Yong Lim Won; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e29. Published online September 2, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e29 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Background
Occupational skin diseases are common in industrial settings; however, few studies have examined workers involved in the production of lithium-ion battery cathode-active materials. This study aimed to investigate the patterns and factors associated with skin diseases in these workers.
Methods
Overall, 37 workers with a history of skin disease were recruited from two cathode-active material manufacturing companies. Onsite investigations, semi-structured interviews, and workplace observations were conducted. Information on skin symptoms, affected areas, symptom frequency, and aggravating factors was collected.
Results
The most commonly reported symptoms were pruritus (27.5%), erythema (20.3%), and chemical burns (15.9%). The most commonly affected areas were the hands and forearms (47.2%), whereas 18.9% of workers reported symptoms in unexposed areas, such as the thighs. The symptoms tended to worsen on workdays and improved during holidays. Less-experienced workers reported more frequent symptoms.
Conclusions
Skin diseases during cathode material production appear to be primarily caused by irritants and allergic contact dermatitis, as well as chemical burns caused by exposure to metal dust, such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. An urgent need exists for appropriate personal protective equipment, improved work environments, and targeted education for new workers.

211 View
7 Download

Original article

Factors affecting heat-related illness symptoms among school food service workers: a cross-sectional study in Korea: Nahyun Kim, Dongwhan Suh, Jia Ryu, Woo Chul Jeong, Yun-Keun Lee, Jinwoo Lee, Hyunjoo Kim; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;e30. Published online September 2, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e30 [Accepted]

Abstract PDF: Background
School food service workers are highly likely to develop heat-related illnesses because of their work environment. However, studies that have examined the risk of heat-related illnesses among them are limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of heat exposure, implementation of heat wave countermeasures, and prevalence of heat-related illness symptoms among school food service workers in Korea, and to explore the relationship between them.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey of school food service workers from May 25 to June 12, 2023, via three labor unions. We analyzed 6,244 valid responses. We assessed general characteristics, heat-related illness symptoms (heat rash, heat cramps, heat edema, heat exhaustion, heat syncope), duration of heat exposure during heat waves, and heat wave preventive measures. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, with adjustments for age, occupation, hypertension, diabetes, and school type.
Results
More than one-third of school food service workers reported heat exposure between May and September exceeding 4 hours daily, and 94.6% experienced at least one heat-related illness symptom during the last year. A dose-response relationship was observed between heat exposure duration and heat-related illness symptoms (p for trend < 0.001). School food service workers who did not have increased rest periods or did not reduce high-heat prepared foods showed significantly higher odds ratios for heat-related illness symptoms.
Conclusions
School food service workers experience substantial heat exposure and a high prevalence of heat-related illness symptoms. The risk of heat-related illness symptoms was associated with extended duration of heat exposure. Increasing rest periods and reducing high-heat food preparation were effective preventive measures. These findings underscore the need for improved heat exposure management and implementation of effective preventive measures to protect the health of school food service workers, with particular attention to appropriate rest periods.

291 View
6 Download

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Accepted articles